Top Comment Podcast
The story behind your social media feed.
The story behind your social media feed, from BBC correspondent Marianna Spring and investigative journalist Matt Shea.
Top Comment investigates what's blowing up online. From global events that go viral across social media, to bizarre moments that spill into real life, Marianna and Matt unpack the trends, theories and digital chaos shaping our world.
You can register for Castfest tickets here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026
You can also hear Marianna's previous series for the BBC in this feed, including Marianna in Conspiracyland, Why Do You Hate Me?, Disaster Trolls, Death by Conspiracy? and War on Truth.
Episodes to download
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Meta, YouTube, and a damning addiction verdict
Friday
The companies were found liable in a landmark California case
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Whistleblowers, dolphin memes, and a million dollar toilet
Fri 20 Mar 2026
The algorithmic arms race driving the spread of harmful content
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Nancy Guthrie, TikTok sleuths, and Starmer's cringeposting era
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Influencers have descended on the Arizona home of the missing 84-year-old
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School wars, Dubai's crisis PR, and is Fabrizio cancelled?
Fri 6 Mar 2026
How phantom trends cause real-world hysteria
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Kalshi, Polymarket, and gamifying the future
Fri 27 Feb 2026
Prediction markets have exploded online but they're inviting scrutiny.
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Decline porn explained, and why Clavicular is misunderstood
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Episode 1 of Top Comment is here.
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Introducing... Top Comment
Thu 19 Feb 2026
We talk through the stories behind your social media feed.
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6. The Inquest—Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
Thu 2 Oct 2025
6/6Can coroners' courts cope with conspiracy?
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5. A collective immune system—Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
Mon 28 Jul 2025
5/6Can people fight back against medical misinformation?
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4. The Archaeologists—Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
Mon 21 Jul 2025
4/6Are we equipped to deal with a rising tide of misinformation?
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3. Down the cancer conspiracy rabbit hole—Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
Mon 14 Jul 2025
3/6What are patients seeing on social media?
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2. Conspiracyland at home—Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
Mon 7 Jul 2025
2/6Could the answer lie in the past?
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5. Fandom Frenzies: Who’s afraid of little old us?—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Mon 21 Oct 2024
How are the Swifties impacting the vote?
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4. Doxxed and Blocked: ‘We’re distressed about war in the Middle East and now trolls are after us.'—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Mon 14 Oct 2024
The social media tactic harming and further polarising people.
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3. The Fable of the Pikesville Clip: ‘I’ve been burnt by the fire once, so I’ll think twice before posting’—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Mon 7 Oct 2024
A clip that divided and convinced a community – and what it could mean for the election.
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2. Counting The Threats: 'I just work in IT – why am I getting threats from election deniers?'—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Mon 30 Sep 2024
Inside the election centre where workers face threats and abuse ahead of the 2024 vote.
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1. Wild Thoughts: 'I hate Trump, she likes him – we both think he staged assassination attempts'—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Mon 23 Sep 2024
How do two people with different politics end up believing similar conspiracy theories?
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Introducing... Why Do You Hate Me? USA—Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Sat 14 Sep 2024
Marianna Spring investigates the online phenomena that could influence the election.
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5. I Went Inside The World Of The Trolled And The Troll—Why Do You Hate Me?
Wed 28 Feb 2024
Marianna investigates online abuse targeting Eni Aluko and tracks down one of her trolls.
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4. I Received Online Death Threats And The Premier League Caught My Troll—Why Do You Hate Me?
Wed 21 Feb 2024
How a Premier League unit tracked down the troll who threatened the player and his family.
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3. Sadiq Khan: I Didn’t Say That!—Why Do You Hate Me?
Wed 14 Feb 2024
How faked audio of London's mayor inflamed hate on social media and tensions offline.
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2. I Believed Conspiracies About The Shooting I Survived—Why Do You Hate Me?
Wed 7 Feb 2024
How the survivor of a mass shooting in Las Vegas fell into a world of conspiracy theories
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1. I Regret Posting Online That I Was Madeleine McCann—Why Do You Hate Me?
Wed 31 Jan 2024
The woman who went viral for claiming to be Madeleine McCann explains her motives
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Introducing... Why Do You Hate Me?—Why Do You Hate Me?
Thu 11 Jan 2024
Marianna Spring investigates different extraordinary cases of online hate.
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Bonus: Irish Conspiracyland—Marianna in Conspiracyland 1
Sun 6 Aug 2023
Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
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Bonus: Frontlines of Conspiracyland—Marianna in Conspiracyland 1
Tue 4 Jul 2023
What are the obstacles that stand between journalists and the truth?
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10. A Risk That’s Impossible To Ignore—Marianna in Conspiracyland 1
Mon 12 Jun 2023
What will happen next in Conspiracyland?
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9. People Like Us—Marianna in Conspiracyland 1
Mon 12 Jun 2023
Do you know someone who’s fallen down the rabbit hole?
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8. The Science Of Conspiracy—Marianna in Conspiracyland 1
Mon 12 Jun 2023
Could people in the UK conspiracy theory movement ever become violent?
